Wishing You Well
by hotsodagirl
Summary: Wishing wells really do work. Sometimes it just takes a while for your wish to be granted. A Ryella Fic
1. Chapter 1

Wishing You Well

by hotsodagirl

**Summary**: If you make a wish before throwing a coin in a wishing well, that wish will come true as long as you're patient. But sometimes it takes a while before fate intervenes, and you have to wait for just the right moment...

**Rating**: K+

**Genre**: Romance

**Sodagirl Says**: Hey everyone, what's up? This is my latest one-shot, _Wishing You Well_. I got this idea a while back, and it just worked out well. I really like this story. It's actually a four-shot, so make sure you stick around for all four parts, 'kay? Please review at the end!

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**Gabriella's POV**

I sigh as I walk into the school building, dismayed as I realize what day it is. It's a Monday, but it's not just any Monday. It happens to be the last Monday of the school year, my senior year, and I know that life as I know it is quickly coming to an end. After this Thursday, school will be over. I will never be able to walk through these halls again. I won't be able to look forward to Zeke's latest cookie recipe or Troy and Chad's basketball games. I will never again spend my afternoons studying in the chem. lab with Taylor or pass the time in English by texting Sharpay about the latest gossip. I'm going to miss all of it, but most of all I'm going to miss _him_...

"Hey Gabi!" I hear his voice ring out behind me. I feel his arms around my waist and I squeal as he lifts me effortlessly into the air and spins me around the hall.

"Ryan, put me down!" I scream, giggling. He obeys, but twirls me around to face him the instant my feet touch the floor. He is grinning from ear to ear, and only now do I notice the large volume in his hand. I gasp.

"Oh my gosh! Our yearbooks are in?!" I exclaim. He nods and grabs my wrist with his free hand. Together we run down the hallways, making our way around the school until we get to the cafeteria, where the yearbooks are being distributed. I get mine from the table underneath a sign that reads _LAST NAMES K-P_ and immediately begin flipping through it, smiling at all the memories that come to mind. There's a picture of Sharpay as this year's lead in the musical, a position I happily handed over to her after last year's controversy. Next comes a photo of Troy, making the game-winning basket of the second championship game in a row. Then there was one of Chad in a pink, frilly dress - but we're all trying to forget about that one.

"That is _so_ not Chad's shade!" I hear Sharpay call out over the roar of students' voices. I look up from my yearbook to see her looking mortified into her own book and I laugh as I cross the cafeteria to meet her. Her brother has taken his place at her side since we arrived minutes earlier and he flashes me a smile as I approach. I try not to blush; he only thinks of me as a friend and I don't want him to know I've had a crush on him almost the entire time I've lived in Albuquerque.

"Hey Sharpay!" I say, waving. She looks up and waves back excitedly.

"Gabi! I was just about to come looking for you!"

"Oh yeah? What's up?"

"I was wondering if you had seen Troy..." Her face turns pink just by speaking his name. We all know she's head over heels in love with him, but she will never admit it.

"Sorry, I haven't-" Just as I am beginning to tell her I haven't seen him, I look to the side and see him standing on the other side of the cafeteria. I point. "Oh wait, there he is! Why were you looking for him?"

"I... kind of wanted him to be the first to sign my yearbook. If you don't mind, that is." She adds the second sentence as a quick afterthought, but I smile and shake my head.

"Sharpay, we only dated for one month in our junior year! We decided we're better off as friends. However, I _know_ you want to be more than just friends with him, so go for it!" I give her an encouraging push in his direction, and it's all she needs. Seconds later she is at his side, smiling up at him as she talks animatedly and hold out her yearbook. He nods, takes it, and begins signing. She glances over at me and I give her a thumbs-up sign.

"Aren't they cute together?" I ask. Ryan shrugs.

"I guess so."

"You _guess_ so? She is completely in love with him, and you only _guess_ they look cute together? Don't you want your sister to be happy?" I shout in a lecturing voice, smiling to let him know I'm joking.

"Well, yeah, I want her to be happy, but... he's just... she's not... um... Sign my yearbook?" he asks, changing the subject. I roll my eyes good-naturedly and we exchange books. We both sit down at the nearest table and I pull out a pen, chewing on the tip as I contemplate about what to write.

_'Let's see... "Ryan, I've had a crush on you ever since I moved here..." No, I can't say that! Hmm... Maybe, "Ryan, we've had some good times as friends, but maybe we should be more..." No, that's even worse! "Ryan, you're way hotter than Troy will ever hope to be!"'_ I start laughing at my last thought, making Ryan give me a weird look.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing!" I feel my face flush as I look back down at his yearbook.

_'Seriously now Gabriella! Concentrate! Okay, what can I say that sounds nice, sweet, and honest without being completely honest? I can't just tell him how I really feel; that's practically suicide!'_

"Are you almost done?" Ryan asks.

"Almost. Give me one minute." I put the pen to the paper and begin writing.

_Ryan,_

_Wow, these past two years have flown by. It seems like just yesterday we were talking for the first time at the Twinkle Towne cast party. I remember every detail. I came as Troy's date, but he left once to get some punch and never came back. It was those crazed fan girls of his, but I guess when you put the captain of the basketball team in the musical, you're going to end up with stalkers. So there I was, alone, and you came up to me, also alone after your sister ran off somewhere (probably following Troy, lol!). We started talking, and before the night was over we were like best friends. Okay, we __were__ best friends! And we still are._

_You are one of the sweetest guys I know, not to mention the biggest triple threat! You're an amazing actor, you have a fabulous voice, and you can shake your hips better than anyone I've ever seen. I swear, you will be an actor on Broadway in no time! But when it happens, I'm really going to miss you. That's the saddest thing about our graduating. As a group, we've all grown so close, and now we're going to all get separated. When you __are__ a big time actor, don't forget me, okay? And don't even try to say you're not going to be a big time actor, because you will be._

_Love, Gabriella Montez_

_May 2007_

_Go Wildcats!_

"Okay, I'm done!" I announce, and not a moment too soon, for I hear the bell ring immediately after my voice. We hand our yearbooks back to each other and manage to find our rather large group of friends through the commotion of bodies moving to homeroom for one of the last times of the year. We all walk into Ms. Darbus' room and take our seats; all eight of us sitting in a group of desks close together. On the row furthest to the right, there's Chad and Taylor. On the row next to them sits Troy, Jason and Zeke. Finally, sitting on the third row from the right are Sharpay, Ryan, and me. As our crazy teacher - I mean, our _passionate_ teacher- calls the class to attention and begins to give the morning's announcements, I flip open my yearbook and read over the single message.

_Miss Valedictorian, a.k.a. GABI,_

_Can you believe we're graduating Thursday? On the bright side, we won't have to see psycho Ms. Darbus anymore, or listen to her crazy rants about the "evil of cell phones." But on the downside, you're probably going to Yale or somewhere big like that, right? I'll probably never see you again after this week is over, so I'm giving you advice to last you through the rest of your life. It's good advice, too. Why? Because it came from me and I'm Ryan!_

_Here's my advice to you: Don't ever change. You're perfect the way you are and you should never let anyone change you to be anything but yourself. Follow your dreams; they'll lead you where you're supposed to go. I know I sound like a cliché book, so I'm going to finish off my advice by saying don't talk to strangers, don't judge a book by its cover, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and oh yeah, eat your vegetables:D I'm going to miss you like crazy for the rest of my life. You're the best friend I've ever had and the best one I'll __ever__ have._

_Always Yours,_

_Ryan Evans_

By this point I am no longer listening to Ms. Darbus - not that I had been listening in the first place. Instead, I read and reread the things Ryan wrote, and I feel tears start to form behind my eyes. _'He really is the sweetest guy I know. Oh, why do we have to graduate? I would give anything to be able to stay with him throughout our entire lives.'_

The bell rings, signaling the end of homeroom, and we all get up and head for the door. For a split second, I think, _'Why __shouldn't__ I tell him how I really feel? After all, this __is__ our last week together. What harm could it do?'_

"Ryan!" I yell to get his attention. He looks over, sees it's me calling, and comes to stand by me. I look into his soft blue eyes, and suddenly I can't say anything.

"Did you want something?" he asks. I shake my head.

"Never mind. It can wait."

"If you say so." We exit the classroom together, and I mentally kick myself. _'Why didn't you tell him? What are you so afraid of?'_

_'I'm afraid he'll reject me,'_ I answer myself internally. _'And I could never take rejection from the one guy I've ever truly loved.'_

**Sodagirl Says**: Okay, there's part one! I hoped you liked it for now. Leave me good reviews:P


	2. Chapter 2

Wishing You Well

by hotsodagirl

**Summary**: If you make a wish before throwing a coin in a wishing well, that wish will come true as long as you're patient. But sometimes it takes a while before fate intervenes, and you have to wait for just the right moment...

**Rating**: K+

**Genre**: Romance

**Sodagirl Says**: Okay so I wrote this, like, before Christmas, but it never got put up for some reason. So now here it is, in all its glory. :P Okay so it's not that glorious, but that's okay. It's actually pretty short, but I can get away with that since I originally thought about making this whole entire thing four-shot one chapter. And there's still two more parts, hopefully ones that I can get up quicker than this one. I know, I'm slow, but I'll really try to work on the next two parts more in conjunction with _Flame of my Heart_. I just put up the new chapter of that, too :D

Oh yeah and I don't own High School Musical, Abercrombie and Fitch, Nelly's "Hot in Here" (or whatever it's called), or the Coca-Cola company.

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**Still Gabriella's POV**

"Oh my goodness, you guys! What are we going to do?" Sharpay cries, her voice still loud over the roar of voices surrounding us as we walk into the mall. There are nine of us now – Troy, Sharpay, Chad, Taylor, Zeke, Jason, Kelsi, Ryan, and me. It is Thursday afternoon, and we are finished with our final day of school.

"What do you mean?" Troy asks, his arm resting on the blonde's shoulder in a friendly manner.

"I mean, we're done with high school! We're never going to walk into East High as students _ever_ again. Is that scaring anyone besides me?" Her worry is shown through her voice and the look on her face, and Chad can't help but mess with her.

"You're scared?" he asks, faking sincere concern. "Oh no, that's not good! We're adults now, out in the real world. The people out here are going to see straight through you; they'll know you're not mature enough to handle these real world situations, and you'll ultimately end up as a failure," he ends in a solemn voice, nodding his head with a grave look on his face.

"Shut up!" she yells, whacking him on the shoulder. He pouts, rubbing his shoulder in fake-pain, and we all laugh. The two of them have never been able to get along, and I honestly thought they never would. But maybe moments like these can change people, for later when we are in Abercrombie and Fitch I see Chad come up behind Sharpay and hug her gently. I think I even hear them apologize to each other. Is that possible? I ask Ryan about it soon after, while we are in the smoothie line, and he simply shrugs.

"Maybe," he says, handing the cashier a twenty dollar bill. "Things change. I've seen stranger than that." The cashier tries to hand him back his change, but he shakes his head and gestures to me. "I'm paying for hers, too. You can keep whatever's left over."

Even though I know Ryan's just a friend doing a friendly favor by paying for my smoothie, I feel a faint blush creep across my cheeks and I can only pray he doesn't notice. He doesn't, but, as we meet the rest of the group at the food court table, Chad does.

"Hey Gabi, why is your face so red?" he asks. He's playing dumb, but I can tell by the tone of his voice and the mischievous smile on his face that he knows exactly why.

"It's… hot in here," I say, blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. Sharpay, Kelsi, and Taylor grin and abruptly break out into song.

"It's getting hot in here – so hot!" All three are immediately overcome with hysterics and the three other basketball players snicker as they try to hold back their laughter. Ryan just looks confused, which only makes the girls laugh harder. But somehow, in the midst of all this laughter, Sharpay looks around at our surroundings and suddenly gasps, pointing.

"You guys, look!" she yells, jumping up from the table. The face of every person at the table alters to take on Ryan's puzzled look as we all rise and follow her, bringing the food we've bought with us.

"Oh, my gosh…. Wow, it's so cool!" she exclaims with the enthusiasm of a child. She is hovering around a wooden structure that is surrounded by fake flowers and artificial grass. Water is visible at the bottom of this quaint arrangement, copper and silver coins shimmering beneath the clear liquid.

"What, this wishing well?" Zeke asks, unaware of her reasons for her seemingly youthful eagerness.

"Yeah! Wow, it must have just been put it; I've never seen it before… Hey, does anyone have a quarter?" she asks, looking from person to person. Chad rolls his eyes and chuckles, shaking his head.

"Oh _puh-leaze_, Sharpay. Don't tell me you actually believe in wishing wells."

"Why shouldn't I?" she questions, tilting her head. She doesn't receive an answer, but continues on to defend herself anyway. "Wishing wells really do work. Whenever I was five and I auditioned for my very first musical, I used a wishing well and wished that I'd get the lead part. And did I get the lead?"

"Yeah," Chad says, smirking at her mockingly. "But that's because hardly anyone else auditioned."

"So? I still got it," she says, glaring at him. "Now, come on you guys. We all have to use it right now."

"All of us?" Troy's voice is less than enthusiastic, but the blonde girl doesn't seem to be fazed by it.

"Yes, _but_ there are rules, so everyone get out a coin and _don't you dare_ throw it in!" she yells when she sees Jason ready to toss his penny in.

"Okay, okay Shar, just tell them the rules so we can move on," Ryan says from where he stands on the edge of the group and, I notice with pleasure, right by my side.

"Okay, well you all get the basic idea, right? You throw the coin in, make a wish, and then it'll come true," she begins to explain.

"I wish I didn't have to listen to this," Chad says to his dime. The blonde glares at him again.

"No! Chad, be serious, _please_! This may be one of our last times together as a group! And because of the circumstances, I'm making a rule that everyone has to make a wish about someone else."

"Fine," Chad says, stepping up to the well. "I wish Sharpay would shut up-"

"_Chad!_" Sharpay yells, smacking his arm even harder than before. "It has to be a nice wish! And besides, you're ignoring the _other_ rule, the one that says you can't tell anyone what your wish is until after it comes true. Because if you tell someone, it _won't_ come true!" She turns to the group and nods toward the wishing well. "Everyone, right now, wish something for someone else, and throw your coins in."

For the first time that day, there is a momentary silence throughout our circle of friends. I look around at the faces of the people I've grown so close to and realize something. Even though some of the guys had acted like the wishing well was a stupid idea, all nine of us are now taking our wishes very seriously. We know Sharpay is right; this is one of the last times we'll all be together like this. I can see that each person is earnestly thinking about who to wish about, and what to wish for them. As I turn to my right, my eyes meet for a split second with the pair of sky blue ones I've fallen in love with, and I know right then who I'm making my wish for. I shut my eyes tightly, wishing with all my might, and then I toss my quarter into the well. The other eight follow suit, and there are a few more seconds of silence as we treasure the moment. We all know that any second now, with the kind of crazy people in our group, chaos will erupt…

"_Chad!!!_" Sharpay shrieks, and we all look to see that he has "accidentally" tipped his cup of ice cold Coca-Cola over her head and all over her brand new outfit. She screams and, as he sees the ferocity in her eyes, the basketball player takes off in a full sprint across the food court, the Ice Princess at his heels. The seven of us that are left can't help but to laugh and offer the occasional encouraging shout at either predator or prey as they run around the entire area: around kiosks, up and down escalators and stairs, and even between groups of shoppers. The sad thing is that Sharpay is gaining on Chad, and she's wearing her new six-inch stilettos.

Then I feel Ryan's arm come around my shoulder, and I'm sure my face is once again reddening as he mutters in my ear, "I guess some things _don't_ change."

"Yeah," I say back, my voice so soft it's almost a whisper. "And some things never _will_ change."

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**Sodagirl Says**: Yeah, I told you that was short. Less than 2000 words. I actually wrote this at about 3 in the morning so that might be why. Hopefully I can get the next part typed up a lot faster. Keep an eye out for my next update, and thanks for reading:D


	3. Chapter 3

Wishing You Well

by hotsodagirl

**Summary**: If you make a wish before throwing a coin in a wishing well, that wish will come true as long as you're patient. But sometimes it takes a while before fate intervenes, and you have to wait for just the right moment...

**Rating**: K+

**Genre**: Romance

**Sodagirl Says**: You know, this is probably the story that is taking me the longest to finish. It's a good thing that I don't take as long to put up a new chapter of my other stories as I do to put up a new chapter of this. What is it, _only_ the third chapter now? ;P I'm going to try and hurry to get the last chapter finished after this, but we'll just see how quickly that's gonna work out :P

Aside from my slowness in updating, you all seem to be enjoying this Ryella story! In this chapter we're about to go about five years into the future and see what has happened in the time that has passed. And I don't really have anything else to say so you can go ahead and read this next part now. :)

I still don't own High School Musical… I don't own Payless or eBay either…

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**Still Gabriella's POV**

_462 WAYS THAT YOU CAN FEEL LIKE A CELEBRITY!_ I roll my eyes at the cover of yet another one of Shayla's teen magazines that she has once again left behind the cash register, even though I've told her a thousand times not to. Shayla is one of my coworkers at the _lovely_ retail store that is known as Payless. Note the sarcasm. Don't get me wrong; it's pretty cool getting shoes at an employee discount anytime I want, which is one of the few incentives that keeps me from going completely insane at where I am in life. _'How could I let things turn out this way?'_ I think as I kneel down and pick up the periodical, flipping it open to a random page and sighing. Staring blankly at the pages, somehow I let my mind drift off back to when I was in high school. Gosh, those were the days. I almost have to chuckle sadly as I recall my plans to graduate from an Ivy League college and become a medical scientist to find treatments to previously incurable diseases.

I had meant to follow through with those plans - that is, until I met _Denver_. Denver was a wannabe cowboy from Texas, and I _thought_ I loved him. I had let him completely take over my life and flip it around for three whole years. Without my realizing it, he had swindled most of my money. One day I came back to our apartment from the grocery store and he was gone. All that was left was a note on the counter and a measly $200 that I was supposed to live off of. I later found out he was gay. It figures. A week later I was evicted from my apartment. Luckily, Chad and Taylor, who had been recently married, let me stay with them. In fact, they _insisted_ I stay with them. I got a job at Payless right after I moved in with them, and in a few weeks I was making enough to where I could live on my own. But they still insisted that I stay, "just a few more days," as Taylor always said. I still live there, and I'm still working here at Payless.

Today is a slow work day. All the teenagers that usually occupy the mall are in school, and so the store is almost empty. The only people that I can see in here are a tired mom with her two-year-old son, a woman in her late 50's who is looking at youthful heels, a gorgeous blonde man that is just coming into the door, and an overweight man in the athletic shoes area.

My mind does a double take and my attention snaps back to the gorgeous blonde man. I can't help but stare for a moment. This guy is _unbelievably_ good looking. He's got to be at least a good four or five inches taller than me, with the most beautiful golden blonde hair that I have ever seen. He's dressed sharply in the most expensive, designer clothes that money could possibly buy, with similar designer sunglasses covering his eyes, and... _'Ohmigosh, he's coming this way.'_ Yes, the guy is making his way over to the cash register and, for some reason, I'm panicking. I don't want it to seem like I'm staring at him, so I look down to the magazine page. What I see on the page takes my breath away and almost makes me forget about the cute blonde guy coming my way. _Almost._

The headline at the top of the page says, _RYAN EVANS, BROADWAY STAR TO MOVIE STAR_. Below that is one of the hottest pictures I have ever seen of the guy who used to be my best friend, and then an article about the new movie deal he just landed. I don't bother to read the article, because I've already read all about Ryan's movie deal online. I guess you could say I have a "celebrity crush." About a year after we all graduated high school, Ryan became famous on Broadway. He probably never thinks about me anymore, but I check his fansites every day. I've actually gone to see him in a few musicals, but I never try to see him after the show or anything. I'm sure his life has been a dream come true for him, and I doubt he would want to be anywhere near a person who's life has turned out as pathetic as mine. Still, I follow everything he does online, and I'm the number one poster on his official fansite's forums. I know I sound a little stalker-ish, but can you blame me? Ryan Evans is the most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes on! And besides, I like to think that I had a little something to do with his success...

"Excuse me, Miss?" I look up to see myself in the reflection of the gorgeous blonde customer's sunglasses, and I pull myself from my Ryan-obsessed thoughts back to reality. I blink a few times, trying to remember where I am and what's going on. _'Don't think about Ryan. You're working at Payless. You have a customer. Give him whatever he wants, he'll leave, and then you can go back to staring at the picture of Ryan.'_

"Yes, Sir, can I help you?" I ask in my bored, customer service voice. The man laughs.

"Um, yeah. You see, my sister's birthday was two weeks ago, and our mother gave her these shoes that she bought for her from Payless. My sister is a - how do I say this nicely? - spoiled, high-maintenance, fashion-obsessed diva/drama queen. She blew up at my mom when she found out that the shoes were from _Payless_. To my sister, wearing shoes from Payless is like wearing shoes that you found in the dumpster. So my mom asked me to take the shoes back and get her a refund."

I join the man in laughter in response to his story. The man's sister's behavior reminds me a lot of Sharpay back when we were in high school. _'Wouldn't that be crazy if... No, Gabriella, no! __Don't__ start thinking about Ryan again! Wait until the customer leaves.'_

"Do you have a receipt?" I ask the man in a more cheerful voice than before. He nods and hands me both the receipt and the box of shoes. With a few _beep_s from the scanner, I have confirmation from the computer for the sale return. I grab a gift card from behind the counter and scan it, handing it to the man with his receipt after I hear the satisfactory _beep_. "I have to give you the refund on a gift card," I tell the man. "I don't really know why they make us do that. I guess they want you to come back and spend more money or something."

"Yeah, everything's always about the money," the man chuckles. I giggle and nod my head in agreement.

"That's true. Well, thank you for coming, Sir," I say with a smile. I look down to my magazine almost immediately and stare into Ryan's picture's eyes for a few moments until I realize something odd. The blonde customer is still standing on the other side of the counter. I look back up into his sunglasses and force a smile. "Do you need something else, Sir?" I ask, annoyed that this man would dare to interfere with my staring-at-Ryan time.

The man cocks his head and leans closer to me. Instinctively, I back farther away as he comes closer. I have personal space issues, but the man doesn't seem to care.

"Sir?" I ask. He shakes his head quickly, as if pulling himself out of deep thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Miss, it's just that... Never mind." He turns to go, but I've found myself intrigued by his strange behavior. I walk around the counter and take a step towards him.

"Wait!" I call out, and he turns around. My face flushes as I begin to feel like I'm probably embarrassing myself. "Um... that is... what was it? That you were going to say, I mean?" The man smiled a half smile and took a step closer to me.

"Nothing, it's stupid really but... You look a lot like this girl I used to know. Back in high school." My heart beats faster when he says this, and my earlier thoughts come back to me. _Wouldn't that be crazy if... the cute blonde customer was Ryan?_ The man continues on. "But you couldn't be her. She'd be doing better than working at Payless." The man cringed and shook his head. "I mean, not that working at Payless is necessarily a _bad_ thing. It's just that it would have been a bad thing for her. She was so smart... Not that you're _not_ smart. Well, I don't know if you're smart or not, but either way I'm sure it doesn't really matter..." The man's face has begun to turn red, and normally I would have laughed. But I can't help thinking that I know this man. I _have_ to find out.

"What... was the girl's name? You know, the girl that you knew back in high school?" I ask in a serious voice. The man looks at me dead on before answering.

"Her name was Gabriella Montez."

I don't show that I am surprised or shocked in any way. Instead, I reach out and take the receipt that he is still holding in his hand. I turn around, grab a highlighter, and mark a line at the top of the paper. Still showing no emotion, I turn around and hand it back to him. He takes it from me and looks to see what I have highlighted. His mouth falls open when he reads the line.

_Thank you for shopping at Payless. Your cashier's name is: GABRIELLA MONTEZ._

The man looks up from his receipt and pulls off his sunglasses. He reveals the most dazzling blue eyes that I have ever seen. But I've seen those eyes before. I've stared into them online for the past four years, and I saw them myself every day almost five years ago. Now I know why the gorgeous blonde man caught my attention. It was because I used to know him. He used to be my best friend.

"Gabi?" Ryan says softly, almost in disbelief. My entire face lights up, and I smile a true, genuine smile.

"Ryan!" I stumble towards him and he gives me the biggest hug I've ever gotten. I throw my arms around him and laugh incredulously. I pull slightly away from him, just far enough so that I can look into his eyes without being _thisclose_ to his face.

"Oh, my gosh, Ryan! What are you doing here?" I ask in amazement.

"Weren't you listening to my story about Sharpay and her hatred of Payless shoes when I told it a minute ago?" he laughs. I giggle and hug him tightly again.

"I seriously can't believe you're here, Ry. I mean, I-"

"Excuse me!" I turn my head around to see the overweight man standing impatiently at the counter with a shoe box in his hand. I reluctantly step away from Ryan and return to my position behind the counter. Thankfully, Ryan stays exactly where he is as I ring up the overweight man's purchases, take his money, give him his change, and send him off with a hurried, "Have a nice day!" I look back to Ryan and he flashes that perfect smile at me that still makes me melt, even after all of these years. He comes up to the counter and leans against it. He glances down at the magazine page with his picture plastered on it and raises his eyebrows at me.

"I take it you're a fan?" he asks. I laugh uneasily as I slide the magazine off the counter and toss it onto the floor behind me.

"Now what makes you think that?" I ask playfully. He shrugs.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that _every_ girl in America has a huge crush on me." He grins at me to let me know he's teasing. I cross my arms but grin back to let him know I'm teasing too.

"It looks to me like someone's turned into Ego Boy. I must be _so lucky_ that you would take the time to talk to a pathetic loser like me." Ryan's smile falters slightly, and he puts his hand on my shoulder.

"No, you're not a loser," he says. I roll my eyes good-naturedly.

"How would you know? We haven't talked in five years. I'm sure you have _no_ idea how I came to be working at Payless for a living." Ryan shakes his head.

"You're right, Gabs. I have absolutely no idea how a total brainiac like you came to be working at Payless for a living. So what do you say to going out to coffee and telling me all about it once your shift is over?" he asks. My heart races. _'Did Ryan Evans just ask me out on a date?!'_

"I'd love that," I say in an incredibly calm voice. "I get out of here at four." Ryan nods.

"I'll be back at 3:45," he says. He then pulls a pen from the pocket of his designer jacket and scribbles something on the back of his receipt. He hands it to me, and when I look down at it I see that he has signed his name in large handwriting. I look up at him questionably.

"An authentic Ryan Evans autograph can sell for a minimum of 300 bucks on eBay. In case you need the extra cash." He winks at me before he slides his sunglasses back on and walks towards the exit. "3:45!" he calls over he shoulder. I smile and wave chipperly at him. Once I'm sure he's out of earshot, I scream and begin to jump up and down excitedly. The remaining customers in the store are staring at me like I should be in a mental institute, but I don't care. Nothing could ruin my joy in knowing that in less than two hours, I will be on a date with Ryan Evans!

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**Sodagirl Says**: Who _wouldn't_ be excited to be going on a date with Ryan Evans:P Yeah, so I'll _try_ to get the last chapter up soon. Like, seriously, I'll try my hardest. Because once I get that out of the way then I'm done with this four-shot. That's totally WIN :D So anyway, leave me a review and I'll update ASAP! Much love!


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